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Canada got the last hurrah at the Celebration of Light Saturday evening, closing the three-night event with a winning display. Canada was declared the winner of the event, with Brazil and China finishing second and third, respectively.

Vancouver’s best curbside food vendors are the ones making a connection (with interactive map)

Photograph by: Ward Perrin Ward Perrin
, Vancouver Sun

Recently, I went for a street food lunch with a couple of colleagues. We were in a good mood, and joked with the servers at the food truck window and … pfft! Nothing! The two servers behind the counter didn’t crack a smile. One server just walked away, and the joke (admittedly, not Jon Stewart calibre) just hung there and fizzled. The food was merely OK, so when the service is a lemon, it’s a souring experience. That was my first and will be my last visit.

In contrast, I was recently bought lunch at Soho Road Naan Kebab and got a cheery welcome and intelligent banter despite the busy lunch hour (as well as a killer hariali chicken in naan.) At Mom’s Grilled Cheese, the high-octane Cindy Hamilton is always ready for a hearty laugh and a joke. And when I recall visits to Re-up BBQ, Roaming Dragon, Pig on the Street, Tacofino, Vij’s Railway Express, or Le Tigre, it’s not just about lunch. It’s about a connection.

A good street food vendor starts with delicious food but now, in the third year of the city’s program, there’s got to be more — unless, like the Soup Nazi’s soup (in TV show Seinfeld), a dish is so mind-blowingly good that customers will tolerate a bad attitude. But otherwise, like a game of Whac-a-Mole, whack away the good vibe and up pops a negative experience.

I’ve had street food in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Hong Kong and in those countries, hawker food isn’t just a cool way to eat or a novel experience for the vendors. It’s about the food, the price and making a modest living. Service might be indifferent, impatient and hurried, especially if you’re a humming and hawing tourist. For me, it’s adventure. For them, it’s another day, another few dollars.

Last January, my husband and I cycled to the outskirts of Vientiane, Laos, and came upon a man making something on a hibachi on the pavement. Kids were running around barefoot. I braked and bought a bag of whatever it was, which was both impressive and disturbing to my husband. And whatever it was turned out to be good. The vendor actually gave me a jaggedy-toothed smile and the kids giggled and pranced, which made my stop even more worthwhile.

The North American street food experience, on the other hand, demands fun, uniqueness, creative ideas, clever carts and trucks. On a recent visit to Seattle, I wanted to get to Maximus Minimus but didn’t have the time. Seeing the truck alone would have been worth the visit — it’s like an Airstream trailer, Porky Pig and Darth Vader got together to make a baby. The pulled pork sandwich is the biggest draw, though.

On the global scale, North America is playing at street food. Statistics (from Topsy.com and thefoodpeople.co.uk) suggest some 2.5 billion people eat street food across the world every day. In Bangkok alone, there are some 20,000 street food vendors. Compare that to Vancouver’s 114 street food permits. About 40 per cent of human energy in Bangkok comes from street food.

If online searches for “street food” are any indication of where the most intense interest lies, Singapore is No. 1 It’s followed, in descending order, by Australia, United States, Pakistan, Canada, Philippines, the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Malaysia. Tacos are the most-searched-for street food.

Sarb Mund, of Soho Road Naan Kebab and treasurer of the Vancouver Street Food Association, feels that in North America street food should be a bit of a show. The association accepts only the top-notch vendors as they represent the local street food culture at events and at the weekly Street Food Fest.

“We know at the Street Food Fest waits can be long, and the last thing we want is for people to get mediocre food after the wait. It’s not fair for the customer or association. We’re very strict. We want individuality. We’re personalities on the street. It’s like our businesses are extensions of our personality. Engaging is so crucial. We’re very, very privileged. In our location (Georgia and Granville), we’re sometimes the first thing people see when they come to the city and the last thing.

“We have the unique ability to show off how we make the food. Andy (Fieldstone) of Kaboom Box has a smoker goin’. I have my ‘uncle’ (in the Indian sense of the word) making kebabs on skewers in the tandoors. There are two of them,” he says. “We have zero secrets in our cart. You see everything.”

Another model of a great food truck vendor, Vikram Vij, of Vij’s Railway Express, has similar thoughts. With wife Meeru Dhalwala, they’ve earned a reputation for running one of the best Indian restaurants in North America but he puts just as much passion into his food truck. While the restaurant expresses their own views about food and service, he feels he’s showcasing the small towns and regional foods of India at Vij’s Railway.

“My personal goal is to bring awareness of the small, little towns of India. All the recipes are dishes I’ve enjoyed on the streets of India, or at someone’s house. It is an expression of the country where I came from, a culture I’m so proud of.”

Mund, who is a certified management accountant understands that personality is a big part of street food here.

“It’s way up there,” he says. “Often, when it’s owner operated, you can feel the friendly vibe. The regulars are called by name, and they love it. For me, it’s the first time I have ever been able to be myself (in a job). People doing it definitely have to love it. I have a massive smile thinking about it as I’m talking to you (on the phone).”

Says Vij: “Eventually, the people who don’t have passion or the ability to stay on the road when it’s cold and (raining) outdoors and can’t make sales will be weeded out. The ones with sustainable power not only love to cook but are characters of their own, and they’re not just serving food. The business has a theme and is an extension of who they are. “

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